Ironman!

[capthawk]

Wow, finally on the tenth! Tenth! squad I made it off the death trap Ferrari!
I really had to take a look at everything all over again, from specs to tree to tactics.
Of the ten squads,I think three tried going to Galantia first, and someone would always buy it in Tundeer.
I think I would have gotten off the Ferrari sooner, only I kept trying to take Tact two.

At any rate, I'm glad it took so long. I played tutorial on, and scored some great bonuses on runs I know well. The best part is by slowing down on the tree, and trying, really trying to be "tutorial-ed", I have my favorite line up yet.
I looked at the power of having Luthor and me as the shield front, and decided to tree my blades up!

This helps Capt as well as soldier. I'm maximizing talents this time early on, rather than chasing max attacks. Engineer has gotten love in the turret Dept. Scout is lagging, but not by much, having the LongSight and NRv already.

I've treed heavy artillery enough to get PR and piercer/heat plating.
I wanted the Hydra right away, but it just wasn't working out for me. He's coming soon, anyway, as Tundeer looms on the horizon.

Neptunes will come on naturally, that is, as my soldiers get to heavy artillery needs, it'll be Neptune time.

So, I'm using four soldiers, two scouts, two Paladins, three berserkers, two engineers right now. I'll add a Hydra and two Neptunes.
Possibly a second Hydra or a slot with a super buff soldier for emergencies.
My Capt is full melee.

Fire and steel! The March on Galantia must be made.
May Shalun guide us, even now gates slam shut behind us...

[capthawk]

Well, the March went great, Berserker, Hydra, soldiers.
At Tundeer, the turn goal wasn't to be, blew it by seven lol.

Yet we cut a mighty swath of purple ichor, my fellow Templars!
Luckily, I had already deployed my Hydra for the March, just had to protect him with the captain, Berserker, and OW.
Therefore he had the better flame cannon for Tundeer!
It was panicky at the eastern gate, I got a bit too spread out, but the med Ordnance and my Paladin saved the day, with some epic melee shots from the Capt, hit a 135 critical on a hunter at a choice moment!
Really have a new appreciation for critical enhancements now. Every class will get some points there from now on as soon as it's feasible.
The 135 crit is my new favorite moment in BF. Lol.
seriously though, with the Capt's blade I just didn't expect to see that! I was buffed with WW, and CME.
I got the Paladin and the Berserker out, too, as well as extra Soldiers.
I swap them out for scouts alot to get extra talents in the reserves. Scouts get a few mandatory missions to compensate, and tbh I don't like using them on many maps until headshot can be developed with FoF.

[capthawk]

As if inspired "by the (very) wrath of Shalun", we absolutely annihilated Extermination by Fire.
I always use double Engineer, Soldier and the Hydra.
The LiTR, Hydra and second team engineer bust south.
Capt. and Engineer Alpha North East.
For this mission we had requisitioned speed buffs, and had just graduated from Heavy to Plated Leviathan Armor, so we really moved out.
Scored 15℅ XP turn bonus, grabbed both secondaries, got overall 8% kill bonus.
Best I've ever run it, at any level!
Scout alpha now has headshot with FoF, was really nice at the end to hold off those Goli on OW and crippling orders. While he smiled and sniper rifled all Spitters before they were an issue.
I'm excited, because I've beaten the first leg of this epic saga, with all troops alive, albeit some barely at moments.
There's only been once on my captain where I simply had to pray for parry/auto block and counter rolls, v. a damaged but not yet dead plated hunter!
I was at 67 hp and running hot but not redline, had to run him into the path of the hunter as Sarge chattered on his second salvo, couldn't dare try to finish the job via punch as he was himself redlining and bleeding bad.

New gear I love more now:
Drakos sword
Level 4 Tact you get early with Paladin.
Vitality wiring!
Twitch backbone is incredible too, Soldiers and Berserkers thank you.
Plated and Heavy Leviathan Armor
Basic Capt and Paladin Armor
War Shield, Knights shield, basic shield

I just unlocked Assault Armor, so my Berserker corps are stoked.
I dug Wraithbone out before two missions ago, fit Capt with it and she's a beast.
I added fortitude, reduced shield to 2, and put the Tact 4 on for this one, loved it.
She took so much less abuse!
I'm just loving having to pay meticulous attention to equipment to cope with Ironman.
Looking at what blade parry I can match with what Suit or Tact, while factoring auto block systems on sword, shield, and extras.
Then, what Armor I've just unlocked might just make me redo it all!
The mix and match fun is just as good with all the classes, I love who gets to share what with who that way.

Sigh, despite my best efforts, I've grown attached to my squad over these many missions.
I may, at this point, forge ahead, even if I do lose a knight or twenty.

Goal is still zero deaths, but whatever mission I do suffer losses on will become my personal record.
Next squad up has to best that!

I'm terrified of the Lich.

[capthawk]

Just wanted to add normally I customize named, especially Capt.
This time I decided to just roll with whatever, and have my first Warrior Queen.
It's cool, all the random characters this time, with the sex I suppose the name to be.
I've got a female lead Berserker, mostly male soldiers, male Paladin. Scout and engineer one each.

Makes it fun seeing "new" faces on the screen, I used a lot of different ones on different classes than I normally do.
I went with the blue Warrior Queen look;)

My word, but I despise that lecherous Tarquin!
The bastard BETTER not be on the bridge when I get back.
He tried to feel me up... good prince entertains us, indeed!

;-p

[capthawk]

Damn you, Drayan Core!
Actually, I'm struggling with the knowledge I ended an entire lineage of Paladins, as I rushed him into death in stupid kill greed.
Templar Martius will always be heralded in the Halls, his heroic feats at Tundeer in keeping the us all alive never to be forgotten.

The Squad now prepares for a foreboding Palace...

[capthawk]

Drayan Palace:
The screen said victory, but it sure didn't feel like it.
Thanks to Nyra heat locking in the final cultist chamber, Dalan heat locked.
I'd gone with two of my three Berserkers, thinking to get them done easy XP.
But the time the Berserkers and Capt. were done saving Nyra and Dalan, they were pretty well shredded.
My first try to escape Capt died.
The next try I lost both Berserkers to the damn Golis.
Hildegarde- Berserker corps leader. Survived the Goli but heat took her.
Jahcarde- Berserker PFC. Heroic effort v. Two goli and the hunter, allowed Capt to survive with a counter attack on enemy turn to escape.
UB rules, btw.
Needed BW, man , I'm almost ready to start a new squad. Just to run Drayan again.

[fallen]

capthawk - bloody report ... but even with the losses, we must move forward.

The Templar order bleeds, and Lineages end. One wonders what will become of them.

[En1gma]

I'm always very deeply bothered by the death of a Templar... The thought that I was the cause of a Lineage's end is probably why I haven't played too far on Nightmare and IM to be honest...

[capthawk]

Apr 27, 2016 11:48:09 GMT -5 En1gma said:

I'm always very deeply bothered by the death of a Templar... The thought that I was the cause of a Lineage's end is probably why I haven't played too far on Nightmare and IM to be honest...

Lol I'm glad I'm not the only one. Honestly, I feel asleep regretting the loss of my Paladin to greed last night.


Well, it's the end of the road for this squad, at the hands of the Lich as I feared.
My Capt. is hopelessly pinned down by the Litch and a Spitter who just scuttled forth from the fog of war to end yet another Paladin.
Was one turn from the last tower, and the Litch was ready to one shot after a TP firewalk but caught up because of hunters and spitters slowing Capt. Katrina and the Paladin down.

I've learned, or re-learned,an incredible amount from just playing this far.
I'm really noticing the difference in gear grades too, Relliars Gauntlet makes Dalan Melee range worthy. He blocked more shots on Drayan than anyone, including epic Spitter and Carapace attack blocks, knocking plasma shots aside from cultists... wow.

My replay and roleplay values are enhanced by the lore of the Lineages. It IS true, we have seen this before...

Squad make-up will have to be different, or at least more focused on developing a few key members. Hopefully, the noobs will grow safely at base, ready for late mission deployment bonuses.
I guess I'll give up on early Berserker in order to build up a Paladin that can survive. Bringing Hydra on earlier will get me to Tiberius Plating Relic, which would have helped Paladin casualties had I Req-ed earlier.

Aer Prima, shuddering; ablaze.
Into the breach once more, Templars, by Fire and Steel, none of these vile creatures will survive!

[capthawk]

Also, fallen, Cory Trese,
Thank you for making the Knight's Journey section, as well as the similar sections for each game.
It's fun to share my exploits and just as fun to read others. I also use it like a log, I'll look back at this post before each mission now, so I can recall where I went wrong hopefully.

Ironman II to come.

[fallen]

Apr 27, 2016 12:30:33 GMT -5 capthawk said:

Also, fallen, Cory Trese,
Thank you for making the Knight's Journey section, as well as the similar sections for each game.
It's fun to share my exploits and just as fun to read others. I also use it like a log, I'll look back at this post before each mission now, so I can recall where I went wrong hopefully.

Ironman II to come.

Look forward to seeing it! Hopefully Drayan Round II goes better

[capthawk]

Apr 27, 2016 13:53:22 GMT -5 fallen said:

[quote source="/post/160362/thread"

Look forward to seeing it! Hopefully Drayan Round II goes better [/quote]


We're doing good so far as we head into Tundeer!